McDonald's Is Flipping Its Arches Upside Down To Make A Powerful Statement

If you drive past the McDonald's in Lynwood, CA, you might think you're getting punked. If you wake up tomorrow morning, scrolling your Facebook feed, you might notice what appears to be a glitch in the Matrix — or further evidence you're in an episode of Black Mirror brought to life. None of those theories are true. Take off the tin-foil hat.

Your eyes are not deceiving you: McDonald's iconic arches logo has been flipped upside down. It does look like a big, bubbly "W" right now, and it has nothing to do with their ongoing Twitter feud with Wendy's. The logo is being flipped in "celebration of women everywhere," a McDonald's representative told Business Insider. You can already witness the flip on the sign at the Lynwood, CA, store, but on Thursday, March 8 — AKA International Women's Day — Mickey D's will display its arches upside down across its social media accounts. Employees will wear shirts with the "W"-esque logo on their shirts and hats, and there will be special packaging featuring the logo at 100 stores nationwide.

"For the first time in our brand history, we flipped our iconic arches for International Women's Day in honor of the extraordinary accomplishments of women everywhere and especially in our restaurants," McDonald's Chief Diversity Officer Wendy Lewis said in an emailed statement to Delish, adding that the brand wanted to honor the roles women play at all levels of the company.

Other brands have taken on similar initiatives to acknowledge women, like Johnnie Walker releasing a 'Jane Walker' bottle, donating $1 per bottle toward charities benefiting women. Brawny launched a 'Strength Knows No Gender' campaign, replacing the Brawny Man with women and donating $100,000 to Girls, Inc., a nonprofit that helps young women learn leadership and financial skills. McDonald's has not announced plans to make a donation as part of this initiative. We'll update this story as more details emerge.

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